Do I have a good list of colleges? (Almost Final)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I think I'm pretty close to narrowing down my list. But there are some schools that I might not end up applying to if their FA packages are typically not very generous. Please let me know if this is a pretty good mix (safeties, matches, reaches) disregarding $$$ unless you know a school is REALLY not generous with FA. Then I'll probably drop it.</p>

<p>Here is my list:
Bowdoin College
Colby College
Boston College (EA)
University of Rochester (have fee waiver from Bausch & Lomb Science Award)
Tufts University
Northeastern University (EA)
Case Western Reserve University (EA)
University of Washington (WA state resident)
Washington State University (super safety if all EA schools reject me)</p>

<p>I'm looking at potentially adding another LAC (maybe Smith? I will consider all-girls.)
I'm interested in a small-medium size school with a very distinct campus. Little to no greek life. I prefer a colder climate. I am interested in pursing Computer Science or a STEM-related field right now.. yet I really like LACs (at least on paper).</p>

<p>Stats:
Female, Asian
GPA: 3.95 unweighted / 4.47(?) weighted but not sure exactly.. will have 13 APs by the end of senior year
SAT: 2280 (CR: 710, M: 770, W: 800) one sitting
SAT IIs: Math II 770 Chemistry 700 (will probably not submit if not required)
Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, possible NMSF, Bausch & Lomb Science Award, general stuff..
EC:
-Varsity Golf and qualified for state every year (9, 10, 11, 12)
-Math Team (11, 12) Secretary/Treasurer
-Academic Coaches (11, 12) - may not include
-Non-profit Organization globally/locally (9, 10, 11, 12) Project Manager & Haven't had elections for next year yet
-Tutoring at private institution (9, 10, 11, 12) mostly in the summer
-Decent amount of community service hours</p>

<p>I've been translating on this forum every year (mainly KOR to ENG translations for videos/posts), but I'm not sure if this can even be considered an EC. I have dedicated kind of a lot of time to it, and it has helped me sharpen my Korean skills and interact with very diverse people (since it's an international forum), but I don't know if it is worth mentioning. </p>

<p>Let me know if I'm forgetting anything crucial. Thank you all! Except U of Rochester, I think I generally know my chances at each school. I'm thinking Bowdoin and Tufts are my reaches. Most of those should be matches whether it's high or low. I'm thinking my in-state schools will be my safeties.. but I'm not sure. Where will U of Rochester fit in on my list?</p>

2

<p>I think you have a good list. One way you can discover the relative amount of aid at each school that you will receive is use the NPC or net price calculator at each school. The University of Rochester, based on your stats, I believe would be a match on your list</p>

3

<p>I think that your list is a little conservative. I’d call Tufts a match. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t recommend studying CS at Boston College. You seem to like Boston (I live here, it’s a great place). I’d recommend Brandeis rather than BC for CS. Both schools are suburban, but I think that Brandeis has a much more serious department. I’m surprised that you are not considering Wellesley. You’d have access to MIT while attending a really great LAC and be in Boston every weekend. </p>

<p>I think Rochester is a school that definitely belongs on your list. From everything you write (wanting a LAC but wanting CS), it’s close to the ideal setting. It has a good CS department but has a LAC feel. It also has good aid. I would say that it’s not quite a safety but you will very likely get in there. </p>

<p>I think you are also competitive for some more difficult admissions (Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Chicago), but those might be a little more urban or larger than what you are describing. </p>

4

<p>Congratulations on your academics! I believe your list is excellent. Clearly it has been very well researched.
A school that is generous with merit aid and seems to match up with your academic interests is Lafayette College, the campus is beautiful, there is some greek life but it is modest and on the decline. It should be a high match or safety for you.
The all women schools could be very generous with someone that has your stats, Bryn Mahr may be another to consider.
If you are drawn to Bowdoin you may want to also consider Middlebury. Middlebury is idyllic and incredibly strong academically.
Best Wishes and good luck!</p>

5

<p>Is there a reason you haven’t considered Middlebury?</p>

6

<p>I appreciate all the research you’ve done and the cold eye with which you’ve looked at your opportunities. You’re even aware that it’s perhaps counterproductive to major in CS at an LAC. </p>

<p>However, there are some holes in your research. Money is the number one factor in college apps and you haven’t begun to investigate what your family can afford. Coming to us for our guesses isn’t the way to go. You need to run the net price calculators at each school. You’ll need your parents’ financial information (last year’s tax forms, estimates of savings accounts, checking accounts; real estate holdings; etc). Your parents may balk at giving those up to you, but point out to them that the schools and federal government will require this information of them prior to admitting you and prior to offering you ANY aid. Do not let them put you off, but keep pressuring them to do this for the child they love so much. After this gathering of info, you will run the net price calculators and it will produce an Expected Family Contribution. After speaking with your parents about what they can afford to promise you each year, you will have some idea whether or not you can afford to attend a particular school. You and your parents will have to pay the EFC whether you can or want to. You can only borrow $5500 the first year.</p>

<p>Perhaps a second hole in your research is that none of these schools would I put at the top of the CS pyramid except Udub. Why haven’t you chosen schools where CS is strong? Even a cold eye toward prospects shouldn’t turn you away from all the top CS schools. I love your stats and ECs, and the top CS schools would welcome a chance to read your app.</p>

7

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<p>You may be misunderstanding what that means. Just because a school is known to be super duper generous, it may not be generous to YOU. Even H and S which give super aid, do not give much/any aid to those who dont qualify. </p>

<p>My cousin’s son just graduated from Stanford this spring. S is known to be super generous…but not to him. His parents’ income was too high. </p>

<p>So, unless your parents have run the NPCs with their financial info, and they have seen the numbers and agree with them, a generous school may give you a much smaller amount than what you would need to attend.</p>

<p>Are you low income? </p>

<p>Do your parents have a good income, but cant pay much for college?</p>

<p>Do you have a non-custodial parent? If so, will he/she (and new spouse) fill out the paperwork and contribute towards college?</p>

8

<p>Looks like a great list. Maybe consider adding Barnard which is the girls college at Columbia University. Look at lists of top liberal arts schools, you may find some that you really like. They may be a little smaller than the schools on your list but you would be a perfect match.</p>

9

<p>You are a very strong applicant to all the schools on your list. I suggest that you also consider Wellesley, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, and Grinnell. They all look like matches for you and offer quality education with great research/intern opportunities, especially the women’s colleges and Grinnell. Good chances to get merit at Rochester ans Case.</p>

10

<p>Since you say you’re looking for another LAC, and are considering women’s colleges, Wellesley, for sure. Great school/terrific environment/academics, it’s FREE to apply, and generally very good with their financial aid. Plus you can cross register for courses at MIT and other nearby schools. Also they do EE (early evaluation), which is kind of a mix between EA and RD.</p>

11

<p>I consider applying to a true reach, you don’t have one on your list.</p>

12

<p>If you plan on applying to Tufts, show interest. They have been known to decline high-scoring students because they feel like they’re being used as a safety for Ivy League / Stanford applicants. Schedule a campus visit, on/off-campus interview if you are able to. </p>

13

<p>Maybe the “reaches” are not the good fits for OP.</p>

14

<p>Thank you everyone for your helpful replies! Not being on CC for one day gave me so many notifications. Haha</p>

<p>@ClassicRockerDad‌ I’ll definitely look into Brandeis. I guess I like pretty much everything about BC even if my intended major might be on the weaker side there. But if they are somewhat similar, I will try looking into that!</p>

<p>@enigmaticescape‌ And since a lot of people have suggested Wellesley, I will probably put it back on my list. It was one of the schools I originally considered, but I probably forgot about it especially since I kept confusing it with Wesleyan (not that they’re uber similar besides their name). Based on what everyone said, it sounds like a good fit for me. So I’ll do some more research and decide.</p>

<p>@arcadia‌ As for Middlebury, I actually did consider it especially after hearing about how similar it is to Bowdoin. But between the two schools, I ended up liking Bowdoin a lot more. I didn’t want too many reaches on my list, so I ended up only choosing one. But based on some of the responses I got, I guess some people think I don’t really have reaches. </p>

<p>@jkeil911‌ @mom2collegekids‌ You guys are absolutely right. I need to REALLY sit down and run the net price calculators for every school. One of these days I will force my dad to sit down and fill it out with me especially since it’ll probably help me determine my final list. Our income has dropped significantly in the past year, but we are going to have 3 kids in college (including me) when I enter, so I will need a lot of FA I’m guessing.
And I feel like I’m not putting enough weight and importance on my major when deciding schools. I’ve been deciding on pretty much every other factor (though ironically all those schools that fit all my other wants are terrible for my major). I did look into some of the top CS schools like Harvey Mudd (LAC) and Carnegie Mellon and a few others, but I felt like I really wouldn’t enjoy being there despite the opportunities I would have. And I didn’t feel competitive enough for those schools. </p>

<p>@Vlklngboy11‌ Actually, Yale used to be my dream school for the longest time. But after researching colleges, Yale (and all the other Ivy Leagues) didn’t seem very appealing anymore. I don’t think I would be a very good match there. I thought that even aiming for Bowdoin was too much for me. But maybe I am underestimating myself and killing all of my chances by not applying at all to some schools.</p>

<p>@Ctesiphon‌ I heard about Tufts Syndrome. I probably will not be able to visit the school, so I’ll definitely try to schedule an interview here if that’s possible. Is there a way to let them know that they are pretty much the most selective (besides Bowdoin) school that I’m applying to? </p>

<p>Wow, this was a long reply. But thank you EVERYONE for all your replies. They are very insightful. I guess I’m not quite down finalizing my list yet. Hahaha</p>

15

<p>I think it’s a big risk to leave your financials open ended. At the very least you should add some merit-friendly schools like Grinnell, Smith, Holyoke. </p>

<p>If we assume that your family’s EFC will qualify you for need based aid (risky assumption, though) then since “you really like LACs” how about adding some more? If you like Bowdoin, you might like Hamilton, Williams, Middlebury, Amherst. Some mostly reaches, but I think they would find you a person of interest.</p>

16

<p>@student197‌ </p>

<p>You just have to demonstrate interest, really. If your stats are within the 25-75% range (GPA/test scores) and you schedule interviews, e-mail faculty, ask adcoms questions etc. that’s the best way to show interest. Apply ED if you really want to go there, that’s the best way to show interest - but it’s not necessary.</p>

17

<p>OP, it is not uncommon for students on CC to hesitate to sit their parents down for The Talk. Whatever the cause of the hesitation may be, the student needs to be the one to bring this to the parents. Is it possible there is one parent who is more likely to hear what you need to say? Could you use that parent as an ally or intercessor? Is there a grandparent who could have a word with your parents? It’s that important.</p>

<p>About your fearlessness regarding the best CS schools: it’s unlikely that you would not recover from the blow of finding that CMU, Stanford, or similar schools rejected you along with thousands of other students. If you were fortunate to be accepted, you would find that the competitive nature, intelligence, and academic talents that drove you to be accepted there would enable you to succeed there. Have no fear. You would find the way.</p>

18

<p>@jkeil911‌ Oh, it’s not anything like that. Haha I’m sure my parents will be fully supportive of whatever I have to say. So I will sit down with my dad (since he knows all the numbers) and run net price calculators. They are fully aware that I’m doing pretty much 100% of the college search on my own. But they are happy to help whenever. </p>

<p>And that is true about the best CS schools. I think I need to reevaluate some of my motives. Perhaps fear of rejection really is holding me back from a lot of potential success in the future.</p>

19

<p>Why not apply to Scripps or Pomona and do the CS major with Harvey Mudd? AlthoughI agree that Harvey Mudd sounds like a good fit overall.</p>

20

<p>OP, I’m glad to hear that. So often students are left to puzzle this out on their own until the financial aid paperwork has to be completed, and then it’s very late in the process. You’re lucky.</p>

<p>@MYOS1634, is it not the case that if you enroll at Scripps you have to major at Scripps? That is, only a select number of hours can come from another of the consortium schools. It is my understanding that OP couldn’t take ALL of the major hours at Mudd. Am I correct?</p>